


The Scarlet Flower

by Savannah_rea



Series: ~*~ GonKillu One-Shots! ~*~ [2]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Fluff and Humor, M/M, One Shot, Party, Savannah_rea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29305719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savannah_rea/pseuds/Savannah_rea
Summary: Killua Zoldyck, a new kid, attends a high-school party in search of a new beginning and some exciting adventure. Alas, he's slapped in the face with a  disappointing reality of drunken teenagers. A certain someone turns that around, and it's none other than Gon Freecss.
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Series: ~*~ GonKillu One-Shots! ~*~ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937602
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	The Scarlet Flower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rainyisrad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainyisrad/gifts).



Bodies pressing together in sweet, summer sweat, bodies meandering the few open spaces, and unfamiliar bodies crashing into Killua. This time, it was a jock, supposedly popular, but he didn’t care. Killua hated parties: the noisiness, the chaos, and just the entire atmosphere of teenagers no longer bounded by social expectations, yet it’s a social expectation to attend. 

So here Killua is, attending because he wants to? No. Because he feels obligated to-- despite knowing he’s a new kid, but new kid or not, his status will remain the same: the kid who has domestic troubles, the aloof, pessimistic kid, the cocky valedictorian. It’s endless, really. But he knew one thing for sure, and it’s that the seniors around him are in a completely different world. He watches from afar, a soda in his hands, yet he finds himself envying those dancing uncontrollably to the music. He doesn’t envy how stupid they look, but he does envy the fact they don’t care-- he  _ envies _ that they can expose everything they are with little or no feeling of doubt or insecurity. 

A drink could fix that. Killua stares at the booth, eyeing a student pouring cups and cups of hard liquor, but there was some fear about losing himself. Or worse, losing himself and having no memory of it. Okay, so alcohol is out of the question.

Then  _ what _ is there to  _ do _ at a party?

He stood there in questioning disbelief, arms crossed, and canceling out the numbing music with a heavy base that rattled his core. He could lie. Lie about his past, lie about his accomplishments; _ lie about his personality _ . ‘Suppose that would work. 

Suddenly, a kid threw up next to him. 

“What the hell?!” Killua yells, and the room goes quiet. The seniors around him raised their eyebrows, most likely thinking:  _ how lame. He can’t even stand a drunk kid.  _ So Killua smiled, laughing and patting the boy on the back, “you can’t even hold in a single cup of vodka? Let’s change that, buddy. Whip him another cup!” _ Lies. _

The crowd cheers, prancing around the living room, or what used to be a living room, and picked the drunk student up, him swimming across a sea of outstretched arms.

_ Disgusting.  _

__ “Yo, new kid!”

Killua jolts his head to find a muscular teen with sharp eyes and greased black hair waving at him. Sweat stained his torso and back. Killua scrunched his nose.

“Come grab a drink! It’ll loosen you up a bit.”

He responds, yelling over the music, “my lame family wants me home by midnight.”  _ Lies _

Deciding to somewhat participate, he takes another student’s position at the drink booth, pouring the poisonous liquid into cups for countless adolescents so they can feel the essence of entitlement of being a ‘mature’ adult. I guess Killua understood the concept, but not the method. Ice, rum, soda. Ice, rum, soda --the mindless work seemed to put him in a bit of ease even though he felt like he degraded to a servant, but at least he’s noticed?

Who is he kidding?

Killua took off the apron and wandered away to grab some fresh air. 

“Killua, where are you going?” A kid raised a drink to the air. 

He responded without stutter, “runnin’ to the bathroom.”  _ Lies. _

__ Sharp, blue eyes glance door to door. He searched for a room of peace, quiet, and everything in-between. His eyes traced the white, wooden lining of the grey painted walls. Step, step, step, heels touching toes and toes touching heels. He wandered to a glass door, opening it, and a childish delight washing over him as if he discovered some uncharted territory. Adventure. He never had the good kind. Maybe that’s why he came to the party that marked the beginning of the senior year. 

It was a porch, a simple one. Vines climbed up the brick walls as lanterns hung from pillars. A backyard filled with bushes, flowers, trees, and all sorts of plants lined a fountain that trickled water which dazzled from the reflection of the moonlight. Killua tilted his head to the sky. A full moon— a sign of bad luck. 

Fingers grazed a nearby rose, feeling the delicacy of its petals, and gently plucking it from the bush. Its appearance only serves to attract. It lures wildlife in, enticing those the flower needs, and the thorns sending predators away. Killua twirls the flower in his hand by the nub of the stem. Is it possible for his appearance to do the same thing? Killua shakes the thought from his head. No, people only see his thorns. 

He places the flower in the fountain, watching as water laps the petals but never quite sinks it. 

__ “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” 

Killua bristles, startled from the sudden intrusion of privacy. He jolted his head behind him, eyes capturing a  _ slightly  _ taller male around his age, and his bulk told Killua that the stranger’s a jock. “I’m new, but I’m sure you already know me from the rumors,” Killua says rather dismissively. 

The teen ran fingers through his hair, tilting his head back, and gazing down at Killua with tawny eyes. He chuckles, “Even if I did know rumors about you, it wouldn't be getting to  _ know _ you.” 

Killua’s chest warms. This stranger seems… different, but Killua refused to let his guard down. So he interrogates him with a voice dripping in doubt,  _ testing _ the man before him, “why aren’t you with the others?” He remarks, “you’re not lonely. I can tell that you’re quite popular.” 

The stranger hums, “popular or not, anybody can feel lonely, and anyone can be popular with the wrong crowd.”

_ He understands _ . Killua’s eyes widen. 

Suddenly, the stranger waves his tan arms around, scrambling with fast words, “I mean- I’m not lonely, right now! I’m just here to enjoy the peace.” 

Killua doesn’t respond, so the other continues, “I’m Gon, by the way.” 

“Killua,” he responds respectfully, smiling at Gon. 

He watches with focused eyes as Gon takes a step closer to him. He points to the flower floating like a boat atop the rippling surface of the water, “a red camellia. Many assume it to be a rose upon first sight.” 

Killua raises his eyebrows, “you know a lot about flowers.” 

“I used to wander the forests and smell different flowers all day,” says Gon. 

“Sounds dumb.” 

Gon laughs again, and Killua notices his heart leap towards the sounds, “maybe a little.” 

An intervention of silence occurs. Crickets buzz, desperately trying to be heard over the pounding rumble of party music heard from inside. Gon sighs and leans his back against the brick wall, shuffling through his pockets and plucking a cigarette from a pack. Naturally, he slips one between his lips.

“You smoke?” Killua asks. 

Gon shrugs, “I don’t light it. It’s like putting the killing thing in your mouth, but-“

“Never giving it the power to kill you,” Killua finishes. He then throws his head back in a laugh, “that’s totally from The Fault In Our Stars. Man, you really  _ are _ weird.” 

Gon whines, “what’s wrong with that? It’s a great movie!” He sulks moodily. 

Killua hums, ignoring Gon’s tantrum, “so… what’s your story despite sniffing flowers and stealing pick up lines from cheesy romance novels?”

“The Fault in Our Stars, mind you, is  _ not  _ cheesy,” Gon huffed. Suddenly, his lips curve in a smirk, eyebrows bouncing as he eyes Killua, “but Killua wouldn’t know that line if he didn’t read it.” 

“That’s-!” Killua turns crosses his arms, trying his best to feign nonchalance, “reading has nothing to do with it.  _ Everyone  _ knows that quote.”

“Right,” says Gon, rolling his eyes and obviously not convinced. 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“My story, huh?” He sighs, “I live with my aunt, and I’ve lived on this island my whole life. I know all the kids here, but I don’t have deep connections with any of them.” A pause, “you know, you are really pretty.”

Killua grimaces, “very funny.”

Gon protests, “It’s true! You practically glow under the night sky,” he spreads his arms out as he speaks as if he’s a toddler expressing the size of a dinosaur, “your hair reminds me of the moon, and-“ 

“Ah! That’s enough,” Killua muddies his shoes by shuffling them aggressively through the soft, rich soil as if hoping to bury his embarrassment. 

Gon sends a questioning glance, “it’s true, though.”

He changes the subject, “why do people attend these stupid things, anyway.”

The teen with ebony hair shakes his head, “everyone needs to let loose every once in a while,” he steps closer, wiggling his body to be silly, “maybe dance a bit with no rules around.” 

Killua rolls his eyes, failing to bite back the small smile creeping on his lips from the ‘rather interesting’ dance moves. “It  _ should  _ be illegal for someone with ‘skills,’ such as that, to do that publicity. If you’re not careful, it may cause someone to go blind.”

Gon, feigning a gasp, recoils, “I know how to dance, thank you very much.” He puts two hands on his waist and props his chin up proudly, “Aunt Mito taught me.” 

Unimpressed, “yeah, sure.”

“Killua Zoldyck,” he announces, “I challenge you to dance with me.” 

Killua stares at him incredulously, “you mean a competition?”

He shakes his head, “Nope!” Popping the ‘p’. “I believe I asked for Killua to dance  _ with  _ me.” 

Wide, sapphire eyes stare into anxious, tawny eyes. Killua stared at the wavering glint in Gon’s irises, awaiting an answer as Killua awaited the decision.  _ Should I?  _ He mentally shakes his head.  _ More like, can I?  _ He can dance, sure, but can he do so without seeming disinterested? He likes Gon, he decided. He didn’t want to scare off Gon as he did all of the others. 

“Okay, sure,” says Killua. “But with what music?” 

Smirking, Gon pulls out a portable speaker, hooking it up and quickly picking something from a playlist on his phone. 

Calming melodies arose. A waltz, maybe? No, it didn’t quite fit the meter, but it shared the feeling of controlled leisure. He looks into Gon’s eyes for the umpteenth time that night, “why that song? I figured you’d like the upbeat music like that crap inside.”

“I came here for peace, remember! Plus, playing anything  _ but  _ this in a garden as beautiful as this one would ruin the mood.” 

“The mood?” Killua questions half-heartedly, smiling. 

“Yes,” Gon repeats, stepping closer to the white-haired boy, “the mood.” 

As Gon inches closer, realization dawns on Killua. He takes a step back, questioning, “Wait, isn’t this a bit weird?”

The teen before him, shrugs, “I just thought I’d be a good excuse to get close to you.”

Embarrassed to death, Killua slips and falls in the mud.

  
  
  
  
  


“I told you I could do it myself,” Killua grumbles, flinching when Gon tightened the bandage a bit too tight around his knee.

Gon focused intently on his work, nimble fingers wrapping and twisting the cloth bandage. He knits his eyebrows which creates small creases on his forehead. Unblemished teeth bit his bottom lip as he worked-- definitely not helping Killua’s embarrassing problem. “Killua’s clumsy,” Gon says, and suddenly his voice turns serious, “you weren’t even going to take care of the wound!”

“I’m sorry..? It’s not serious, or anything,” 

Gon rolls his eyes.

Somewhat offended but mostly agitated, Killua protests, “You were the one being weird in the first place!”

“What’s weird about dancing?!” Gon shoots back. 

Killua, despite not knowing the other man too well, smacks him on the back of the head, earning an exaggerated whine. “That didn’t hurt. We’re both guys. It’s self-explanatory!”

Now confused, the brunette scratches his head, “but Killua agreed-?”

_ That...was a moment of weakness _ .

“You sure say my name a lot,” he changes the subject.

Gon presents a toothy grin, and Killua’s heart leaps in his chest.  _ Stay still, stupid organ!  _ “It’s a pretty name,” he says so easily.

Laughing, “You’re so full of compliments.”

“And you’re so full of accusations.”

Killia bites his tongue.  _ Dammit! _

Gon snips the final sliver of cloth, clipping the bandage together and humming in affirmation, “done!”

Killua wiggles his wrapped limb, “you didn’t have to.”

“Hmph, but I wanted to.”

Killua huffs. He fidgets. Anxious, perhaps? It was an emotion similar to fear but far less  _ dreary.  _ Regardless, it changes everything, and he somehow feels certain of everything and nothing.

Suddenly, he turns his head back to see Gon staring at his face with a smile. Weakly, Killua mumbles, “you’re too close.” 

The teen lets out a small whine; Killua raises his eyebrows, bemused at the childish behavior. “I want to get to know you!” Declares Gon. 

Traitorous heat blossoms across Killua’s cheeks, “but why would you want to? There’s nothing interesting-”

“You don’t know that!” Gon protested. Again, childishly. 

Maybe that’s why Killua felt different towards Gon. His boyish behavior kept the teen open-minded and welcoming, his judgments from stereotypes practically non-existent. Though, he doesn't seem like a complete moron. His character predictability was from instincts alone. 

But Killua already figured out the outer shell of Gon. Every high school jock seemed the same. Gon probably sucks at math, popular with the girls, has a cheerleader girlfriend, and has a group surrounding him in the halls. 

Well, maybe scratch the girlfriend part. 

Killua squinted. 

Gon’s open palm appears in Killua’s peripheral vision. He sends Gon a questioning glance, but Gon only shared a relishing smile and declares, “I want to take you someplace special.”

Killua, bemused, raises his eyebrows, “special, you say?”

“Uh-huh!”

_ Somewhere special, huh? _ If it were anyone else, Killua would’ve turned the offer down without a second thought, but something… something was different about Gon. Perhaps he’s the start of a  _ real _ adventure, a start to a chosen life without regrets,  _ without lies.  _

Sure of himself, Killua grabs Gon’s hand firmly, letting Gon help him up, “lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something for Rainyisrad, but this only shows a fraction of my gratitude (more will come hehehe) <3 Thanks for keeping me writing from the very beginning! x3
> 
> Insta: https://www.instagram.com/that_great_snail/  
> Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/That_gReat_Snail


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